Portable hyperbaric medicine, some history

Since the beginning of this century several portable hyperbaric chambers have been designated for the treatment or prevention of various health problems. The first one was presented in 1919 for the treatment of decompression sickness. Other types were invented to treat allergic disease, to protect from toxic gas in wartime, to transport patients suffering from decompression sickness and to pressurize patients during flight in non-pressurized airplanes. All these chambers have been light enough to be carried and are simple to operate. Since 1979, three portable hyperbaric chambers have been designed specifically for the treatment of altitude sickness. Presently, two of these are frequently used. Working pressures of 104–165 Torr ensure an increase in inspiratory oxygen pressure, significantly increasing oxygen saturation of arterial blood, and as such provide an elegant and inexhaustible means of additional oxygen for patients suffering from altitude sickness. Several studies have reported beneficial effects of pressurization. Portable hyperbaric chambers should be included in the medical equipment of every expedition or trek going to high altitude.